THREE intrepid cyclists have pedalled from Shrewsbury to Paris to raise money for Severn Hospice.

Jason King, Simon Platt and Humphrey Dunn cycled 400 miles from the hospice steps in Bicton Heath to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

They have so far raised £1,500 but are expecting to smash their £2,000 target.

Jason and Simon, who work at the Shrewsbury depot of Jolly Good Van Hire, joined forces with Humphrey, of computer business Datacraft, for the third year running to raise money for the hospice.

Jason said: “Humphrey’s dad was in there and it’s such a fantastic organisation with what they do with minimal funding.

“If you walk in there, the atmosphere is great.”

The idea for this year’s challenge came when Mark Hughes, the manager at the Wrexham depot of Jolly Good Van Hire, organised a bike ride from Crystal Palace in London to the Eiffel Tower.

The Shrewsbury depot decided to join them, but went one better, adding an extra leg from Shrewsbury to London first.

“The hardest leg was down to London because it was hilly,” said Jason.

“Cycling into London was the worst bit with the busy roads.

“It was a bit scary and we got a little bit lost. Humphrey fell off trying to do a u-turn on a slippy road.

“We had the cross-channel ferry to negotiate, but in France the roads were wide, smooth and quieter.

“It took us about a week to recover – not so much aching muscles, but just in terms of tiredness.

“It was about a week before I’d think ‘yes, I can get up now’ when the alarm went off.”

Mike Perry, community fund-raising adviser for Severn Hospice, said: “As a charity we are always honoured when people choose to do something amazing for us like Jason, Simon and Humphrey.

“It is only because of people’s generosity that we are able to continue to provide care and support for our patients and their loved ones.”

Visit www.justgiving.com/jollygood to sponsor the pals.